ISLAMABAD, May 8 -- Six people died and five were injured when fuel tanks jettisoned by a Pakistan Air Force fighter plane set fire to their houses in Karachi.
An air force statement says the flight was on a routine training mission when a 'serious in-flight emergency' forced the pilot to jettison his extra fuel tanks rather than crash into a populated area. Local reports say three houses and five shops in the suburb of Liaquatabad ('lee-AH-kuht-ah-bahd') were destroyed by fire. The pilot managed to land the aircraft safely. The air force expressed regret at the loss of life and ordered an inquiry into the cause of the accident. ---
Copyright 1997 by United Press International. All rights reserved. ---
